Here is a story that we used
once as the Thinking Day service at church with actual Cubs,
Scouts, Sparks, Brownies..etc. We even had all those who were
ever in either movement stand up and join the chain that wrapped
all the way around the church. It was really interesting to see.

We also did it one year at a
Division camp with a few hundred girls around in a circle, me at
a megaphone and the girls each had a prepackaged baggie with all
the necessary pony beads, and a cord (with a toothpick taped on
as the needle). It worked well and all summer I would see the
girls in the neighbourhood wearing their necklace.

By the way I don't remember
where I got this so I can't give credit to anyone. I think it May
have been in things Dorothy Stobbs (a good friend who was a
member of our Canadian Guides for many years before moving to the
States a few years ago) gave me before she left. Who knows where
she got it from!

The Magic Necklace

There was once a very strong
Needle who was also so wise that God gave him a special and
wonderful thread to use in His service. It was a strong and
beautiful thread, but quite invisible. The odd thing about it was
that it had no end at all.

"What shall I do with
it?" thought the Needle, for he knew that God wanted him to
share it with other people. He looked out over the world and saw
millions of different colored beads of different shapes and sizes
scattered all over the place.

"I know," said the
Needle. "I will make a necklace." He looked down at his
feet and found a number of green coloured beads who looked just
right to begin with.

(The Scouts move near L.B.P)

"Would you like to be the
first beads on the magic necklace?" he asked them, showing
his wonderful thread. The green beads were excited and said,
"We would like to help by being the first beads to
join." Then, the magic was proven, for no matter how far
from each other the beads strayed, they still found themselves
joined together by the invisible thread. (Boys move away from
each other (1/3 of a circle and make the Scout sign).

Then not only green but a
number of Royal blue beads began to ask if they might join the
beautiful necklace. "May we join too, please?"

(Guides advance and stand in
front of LPB)

"I am sorry, but I am only
having green beads at the moment." said the needle firmly.
At that the Royal blue beads looked terribly disappointed, but
they did not go away. The Needle, who hated to disappoint anyone,
thought for a while and at last said, "I think that this
necklace is meant for anyone who can see the thread and who cares
to join it. I will find you a place opposite the green beads, so
hold on.

(Guides join the circle with
the Scouts.)

He had scarcely finished
speaking when an excited whispering made him turn around. (Six
Brownies stand behind LBP) Behind him was a wiggling heap of tiny
orange beads dancing with impatience. "Oh, please let us
join," they begged, "Very well" said the needle.
"We will make room for you near the Royal Blue beads, and
you can roll down when the time comes."

(Then the Brownies take their
place near the Guides.)

The orange beads crowded in
joyfully with the blue and green beads. Brown and yellow beads
joined in a short time later as the necklace continued to grow.

(Beavers and cubs join the
circle)

"If you please, might we
have some room too?" asked some emerald green beads. The
Needle, who was very wise gave the space in the middle.

(Pathfinders join in)

The bigger beads of light blue
and red were also intent to join this special necklace.

(Venturers and Rangers join in)

"Have us, have us
too" cried the little pink beads before the Needle could
continue to speak. "We are smaller than the green beads so
we can fit in."

The necklace grew so large that
it spread over England, Europe, America and into Asia and
Australia. In fact, it soon spread all over the world. The beads
took great care of the magic thread for they knew that no one but
they themselves could break it.

(Everyone joins in with their
group)

One of the smallest yellow
beads felt rather worried when he heard this. "Suppose, just
suppose, I forgot and broke the necklace. What then? Should I
fall off?" He asked a green bead who shook his head and
said:

"You need not worry. The
magic holds us very, very safely. We all break the chain
sometimes - it is difficult not to- but we can join the thread
together again if we use the safety chain."

"What is that?" asked
a royal blue bead eagerly.

The Needle said, "The
safety chain of the necklace is the PROMISE that we all make, and
that is what keeps us all together. But sometimes we move far
away from the other beads, but the magic necklace always keeps us
together. If anyone has ever made their promise please take your
place in the magic necklace.

The royal blue bead nodded her
head wisely. "It makes it sort of - safe, doesn't it?"
she said contentedly. All the other beads smiled understandingly
because that was the way they felt about it too.

Kathy Pechmann:

We used this many years ago as
part of a District advancement ceremony for all branches. We got
some thick golden yellow yarn to make a long chain (long enough
to go around a gymnasium) and attached it to a two foot long
needle made of cardboard covered with tin foil.

Each unit involved made
"beads" by painting half a toilet paper roll in the
appropriate colour. We made a large circle around the gym and as
the story was read the needle was passed around and each
participant threaded her bead on to the chain.

The process started with some
Guiders who stood in as acting Scouts and ended with the District
Commissioner who tied the safety knot to the beginning of the
chain as the story ended. Everyone held on to the chain we
re-affirmed the Promise. After the ceremony the chain was taken
to our Area Office where it became part of a display for the next
Thinking Day.

I don't know where the story
originally came from but it has been around for a long time.

Linda Hodgkin, Cadet Guider,
Vernon, British Columbia:

The original posting about the
Magic Necklace rang lots of memory bells for me but it took a
while to figure out why. It is in the DRAFT copy of the new
Senior Branches Program: For Fun and Independence. It is included
in the Resource Section and is referred to by both the Cadet and
Junior Leader sections.

Helen Smith, Ottawa Area:

I found the book where this
story appears! As promised, complete details ...

Pow-wow stories, by
Freda Collins. This edition first published by Knight (the
paperback division of Brockhampton Press Leicester) in 1974.
First published in 1948 by Brockhampton Press Ltd.